Page 40 of Into the Blue (Shades of Vengeance #1)

You know what’s a really good natural stress reliever?

You don’t have to guess, I’ll tell you.

It’s killing the men that have been on your must-kill list, but out of your reach for months.

Before me, Keith Brussaud, Ervin Mallard and Lawrence Lafayette are strung up by a single arm to a random pipe in my warehouse. It’s cold, they’re wet and let’s just say that plenty of my men are happy to take their stress and frustration out on them as well.

After some digging and not that much effort, Redd had figured out who took Racquelle from the grocery store that day. Like Junior, they were hiding and staying out of reach for very good reason.

Well, they showed up in Clayton Terrace again.

Big mistake.

My knife itches in my palm to finally get the retribution they deserve for hurting my woman.

Not the knife that laid claim to her body, forever letting her, and anyone, know that she was mine.

This is my K-bar. And it’s been too long since she’s tasted blood.

It was extremely unlucky for them that my memory of Racquelle’s injuries were as vivid as they were, seeing her in front of me that night. The pain that she endured—every moment of her misery in recovering. Crystal clear in my mind.

None of these men would survive.

Though I couldn’t be sure that it was because of them that my weed was going missing.

I couldn’t be sure that it was because of them that my men were dying trying to protect what was mine.

I could be sure that my patience had little to say to uncertainty.

Elimination was a sure thing for these three.

They were high enough in Junior’s ranks that he would absolutely feel their absence.

I wanted him to feel it.

It was personal, but I wasn’t willing to fuck up my hands to end their miserable existences. My people had felt that enough to pitch in to this retribution beat-down. It would make it last a little longer than necessary.

Working smarter, not harder. That’s just good business.

Slipping the blade into my external sleeve, it glimmers in the hard lighting of the open room. Venom drips only slightly at the hilt where I’ve coated the blade.

Lawrence is first. The throat would be too generous. I look for a spot that has the fewest bruises already, and I’m happy to find that there are many of them. But right between his ribs, looks good to me.

A clean entry is good for me, bad for him.

With his body weight contorting from the pipe, I can hear the ligaments pop as he jerks from the effects of the venom.

I hope that he will remain conscious for the duration of it.

Keith is next. I don’t need to deliberate for this piece of shit.

He kept her from screaming in the lot with a hand to her mouth.

After wiping my blade on Lawrence’s pants, I make sure it’s ready for a new entry.

With the arm that isn’t tied to the pipe, I slip the blade directly between the bones above his wrist, slow at first and then twist when I remove the blade.

There is no screaming that I’ll miss from his pain today. He’s earned it all.

And finally, Ervin. He was the genius with the syringe and later the one who knocked her unconscious with his boot at my doorstep. My grip doesn’t falter when I bring my boot up to his head with a kick and then plunge the knife into his chest right over his heart .

The three of them flail in agony as the culmination of their beatings and my venom takes them on the most miserable journey to their end.

I’m certain there are more who deserve a similar fate, but I want that motherfucker, Junior, on the end of my blade more.

I was up until late in the night working over the three men responsible for most of Racquelle’s injuries. I chose to stay at the warehouse and clean up, only taking a shower and quick nap before the next work day came.

And per usual, it was more shit I didn’t want to deal with on my desk.

More money lost, more product gone.

Chasing down whatever new attack was causing my empire to bend, near breaking, didn't excuse me from the day to day responsibilities that fell to me here. Even more so now that we were losing people and consistently having to shuffle duties between who was left. No matter how mundane.

“Boss, Kitty’s here to see you,” crackles through the line. I really had not expected to see her here after she had been staying with Michael. No—Mack.

As far as we could tell, she didn’t remember anything damning and couldn’t have been telling any secrets.

When I got a call from her a couple of weeks back, I thought something was up.

Knew she wasn’t responsible for whatever leak or mole or rat I was dealing with.

Was willing to pick her up and everything but chose to send someone in my stead because I had enough to deal with.

Once she got here, I had to explain to her, as best I could, why she started working with me.

I’m thankful that last night alleviated most of the rage I had over my circumstance because dealing with Kitty is trying, even in the best of times.

I don’t comment on her disrespect because she doesn’t have the three years of seeing why I deserve it at the ready. Her memory is shoddy.

I do my best to summarize what I can. “You showed up at my house. Not here but at my family home. You had fire in your eyes. I figured you were high or somethin’.

Nobody talks to me like that and lives.” I narrow my eyes on her in a way that suggests she should get a clue about that fact.

I might not be ready to flip, but that could be triggered by anything at this point.

“But it turns out that you and I had mutual goals.”

Her eyes go big as saucers, but she asks, “What were our mutual goals?”

“Revenge.”

“Revenge?”

I nod, surprisingly comfortable telling her this truth. “Both wanted revenge. The night you lost your Nana was the night I lost a good friend and a valuable soldier. The Lafayettes set up Lewis, Redd’s brother.”

It was the night that everything became clear.

Lewis went to a house party to sell some green. Not unusual for a low tier guy. Redd didn’t have a problem with his little bro in the life since he was always more proud of this shit than I was. Plus, Lewis was an eager little punk.

That night, there was a mix-up or maybe it was intentional. His bag had more coke than green and it was only one person’s fault. Junior was at the party, but Lewis refused to sell the snow. Accused Junior of setting him up and shots were fired.

That’s all I had found out anyway.

Redd was livid, wanted to go after him right away. But I knew it would start a war that we weren’t prepared for. Had to hit back in another way.

Kitty’s voice breaks my reverie, “And that’s how I ended up workin’ for you?”

“In a way. We’re still beefin’ with the Fayes.

You said you wanted in and Thane came too.

Trained hard. Rose quick. Ran green for me until one day the green didn’t come back.

Thought you were stealin’ from me. You beat Colton down pretty bad up there and then I find out you were in a hospital and remember nothin’.

Luckily, I found my shit and you weren’t blabbin’ to the cops.

I didn’t wanna deal with that… complication. ”

And now Colton’s missing. Not dead, though I tried my best when Tony brought him to town. I hoped it would scare him shitless. But I haven’t heard from him since.

“And what about Ethan?” Thane or Ethan was her childhood friend and the runner who died in the accident that took her memories. I knew they were close and that loss must have hit her hard.

“Yea. Knew he was takin’ some off the top. He was the type. Problem resolved itself, didn’t it?” She flinches, but I don’t give a fuck. At this point, anybody who steals from me can disappear. It’s made my life a hell of a lot easier.

There’s hesitation, which is unlike the woman at all. I already know what she’s gonna say before she opens her mouth. “I’ve been gone for months now. What if—What if I don’t come back at all?”

“Why would you do that?” My brows furrow.

That is not what I expected. I fully thought she was gonna ask to come back.

More news I don’t want to hear. If there’s something I need, it’s more competent people to do this job.

“Convenient that you forget all about the reason you were in this to begin with.”

“Yea… those are the only memories I do have… So much loss and I just want out.”

I don’t need anybody here that doesn’t want to be here. It’s a liability. I tilt my head to the side. “Comes at a price,” I say. I’ve never had anyone willingly walk away from Dupont. Not alive. But I can’t look weak either.

I tell her that it’ll cost twenty large to make her way out. She made that in a couple months, easily. I don’t need the money, but I might with how things are going. It will at least keep her out of my hair for a while and away from my desk.

My phone vibrates on the table and I pick it up on speakerphone when I see it’s Redd.

There’s heavy breathing, but Redd’s voice is clear, “I got ‘em. They’re comin’ for you.”

I stand, looking down at the phone like it’s grown legs. “The fuck?”

“That bitch finally showed his face and I took the shot. Blood for blood,” Redd replies .

My mind is in complete disarray as I try to think of anyone, absolutely anyone he could be talking about, knowing that there is only one man that it could be. “Told you to stand down. Let us handle it.” Like businessmen, I don’t add because I butchered Junior’s men just hours earlier.

“I’ve been waitin’ over a year for this, Blue. Lew had more life to live. I couldn’t let it stand no more. He made a mistake gettin’ comfortable in Clayton again.”

“Fuck,” I start the protocol for an attack. First shooting a text off to the team at my house. With the warehouse video feed connecting from room to room that guards are in, sounding the alarm from the app. “You fuckin’ idiot! They were waitin’ for your dumb ass.”

Twenty people rush into the room and stand guard around the table.

Looking back at my phone, there are nine cars all pulling up to the front of the warehouse.

This is the last thing I need. Lafayette men ready to take my team on for this.

“Blue,” Redd pants. “They’re takin’ me.”

I pull at my locs, thinking over what my next steps should be.“Who? What the fuck? Who is takin’ you?”

“The cops found me,” Redd says and the blaring sirens start up in the background.

“That’s not a problem. Did anyone see you?” I ask.

Silence.

“Redd, did anyone see you?” I ask again. Fuck, I hate repeating myself.

His voice is too calm for his circumstance when he says. “A few folks maybe.”

“Maybe? What the fuck?! Tell me you aren’t this dumb.” I huff a long suffering sigh. “You’re on your own for now. I have to deal with whatever Faye Senior wants here. Go with them and say nothing until I come to get you out.”

“Heard.” The line clicks and I grab my knife again, prepared for whatever might come our way. “With me,” I tell Kitty when she’s just sitting there in shock.

With panic in her eyes she asks, “What are you doin’?”

“Goin’ to have a chat with Lafayette Senior to see if we can’t come to a deal.”